PURPOSE The aim of this study was to compare, through scanning electron microscope (SEM), the ability of four Ni-Ti rotary instrument systems in shaping root canal walls and their ability in removing smear layer and dentin debris. METHODS Forty-six extracted single-rooted human teeth were divided into four groups and prepared to size 35 (Alpha System, FlexMaster, MFile) or 30 (NRT files). Irr...

Complete eradication of microbial biofilms and elimination of the smear layer are the key factors during endodontic treatment. Various chemical irrigants have been proposed in the literature for the same. The major setback with these chemical irrigants is that they are not bio-friendly to the dental and peri-radicular tissues. In the recent years, research to use natural products for root canal...

Aim: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of manual and ultrasonic instrumentation with varying irrigation protocols on removal of the smear layer from root canal walls. Methods: Forty extracted single rooted human teeth stored in 0.5% saline were used. Periodontal soft tissues were removed followed by crown separation at the CEJ. All the teeth were randomly divided int...

The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of endodontic irrigants in removing the smear layer from instrumented root canal walls using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The endodontic irrigants used were: 1% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl); 1% NaOCl mixed to 17% EDTAC; 2% chlorhexidine gel; and Ricinus communis gel. Photomicrographs of the middle and apical thirds were evaluated w...

The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of a low-cost method, the thin layer agar (TLA) method, for the diagnosis of smear-negative patients. This prospective study was performed in Homa Bay District Hospital in Kenya. Out of 1,584 smear-negative sputum samples, 212 (13.5%) were positive by culture in Löwenstein-Jensen medium (LJ) and 220 (14%) were positive by the TLA metho...

Preparations of apical cavities in resected root ends using rotary burs, with and without citric acid rinse, and ultrasonic tips were compared based on the presence or absence of superficial debris and smear layer. Three groups of 20 extracted teeth each were prepared as follows; I, a size 010 round bur was used to prepare an apical cavity 2-3 mm down the long axis of the root; II, treatment as...